Weird Food

Some Thoughts Regarding Food

1. The Cooking for One Mutation

Okay, I’m fairly obsessed with food. Blogs, TV shows and of course actually stuffing my face- it’s all good. As I’m still learning to cook and all, it’s fun to try out new recipes with PC . The other night we made Vietnamese spring rolls with grilled pork and dipping sauces. They were great.

I couldn't get a good shot of mine, but they looked pretty similar

PC is currently away for a playoff match. Whenever he’s away, and I realize that I’m cooking for one, I am faced with two questions:

1) Why God why isn’t there a Taco Bell in Germany? I have been abandoned in a crunchwrap supreme-free hell!

2) How many times can I make breakfast for dinner?

What is the deal? Is there a name for this phenomenon that mutates perfectly normal men and women into lazy, junk food nuts? When I think about slicing and prepping a meal just for myself…ehhhh it’s just too much work. I can’t even muster the energy to order takeout. Baked eggs it is.

I think the phenomenon may also have temporal dimension. For example: If I am on my own for a week or more, I revert back to preparing actual meals, and enjoying the cooking for one lifestyle. Anything less than a week and I descend into my frat-boy diet plan.

Speaking of PC he is doing pretty well and was recently on the cover of a magazine

lookin good

2. Irrational Ingredient Fears

I’m terrified of some ingredients. I might be trolling through foodgawker or some other food blog and see this:

I am ecstatic. I have found my special Sunday breakfast! How inspiring! How delicious! How…oh crap there’s yeast in these? screw that. resume trolling.

This has happened several times. ‘Ooo, Cinnamon rolls would be so special and tasty for Christmas breakfast! Wait a sec…YEAST? Oh god its going to ruin the birth of Christ!’

I have never worked with yeast. I have never seen anyone else work with yeast. It just terrifies me. I get this way about stuff like celeriac and flax seeds too. It’s almost like the overwhelming terror that washes over me when I realize that the cupcake I was salivating over turns out to be a *Vegan recipe. It’s like something evil disguised itself in an attempt to infiltrate and ruin my life.

*I’m sure lots of Vegan recipes are absolutely delicious, but the no butter thing just feels wrong.

3. Unusual Tastes?

On several occasions, people here have asked me if I enjoy the German cuisine. I answer, “yes of course”. I like almost all cuisines, so that’s not much of a surprise. There are very few dishes out there that I would turn away. Now, I realize that I haven’t tried anything super unusual all Andrew Zimmern style, but I’m proud of my non-picky palate.

I began thinking about some foods I like that might be less than appetizing to others. Just slightly unusual likes. Conversely, I wondered about foods that you might dislike despite their seemingly universal appeal. Here are two of mine.

Dislike: Original Flavor Starbursts. It’s not so much a dislike as a severely apathetic feeling.

What about you guys? What unusual food likes/dislikes are you workin with? I have a sister who dislikes mashed potatoes and fried chicken. I’m almost positive that opinion is illegal in certain parts of the US.